( CNN) Just one day after the removal of Jeff Sessions as US attorney general created a serious risk to the ongoing independence of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, lawyers for Mueller are in court on Thursday defending against a lesser-known but potentially potent menace to its core mandate as special counseling.
This is a legal Hail mary. The likelihood of success is low, but if Miller predominates, the impact on Mueller's investigation will be seismic.
Miller has worked for Republican political operative Roger Stone for approximately a decade. While investigating Stone — who has said publicly that he is “prepared” to be indicted by the special counseling — Mueller subpoenaed Miller and other Stone associates. While others complied with Mueller's subpoenas and witnessed in the grand jury, Miller refused. Sensing an opportunity to use the Miller subpoena battle to take a bigger swing at Mueller, a non-profit conservative interest group, the National Legal and Policy Center, took up the cause and is helping to cover Miller's legal fees.
